Fall River woman sentenced in 2015 stabbing death

FALL RIVER, MASS. (WPRI) – A Fall River woman has been ordered to serve 12-18 years in prison for stabbing her neighbor to death in 2015.

Adrienne Brown was acquitted of murder by a jury last month in the death of 53-year-old Brian Jones, and instead convicted of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter in the case. At her sentencing hearing Friday, she apologized to Jones’ family.

“I take full responsibility for my actions, although they were never intentional,” Brown said. “I pray to god for forgiveness. I am not a cold-blooded murderer.”

Brown claimed during the trial that she acted in self-defense when she stabbed Jones three times in the torso, but Judge Raymond Veary said her statements directly contradicted the evidence and the jury found that she had lied.

The prosecution had argued that Brown stabbed Jones in retaliation, after hearing that Jones may have threatened her daughter during a dispute over $50.

“This defendant poses a risk to the public,” Assistant District Attorney Kelly O’Sullivan argued at the sentencing. “When she is confronted with a situation that makes her angry, she acts out violently.”

O’Sullivan said Brown attacked another female inmate in prison while being held on this case. She also read a Facebook post from Brown that she said was posted shortly before the killing. “I’m not the kind of person who calls the cops, I’m the kind of person that if you piss me off, you better hope you can call them before I get a hold of you,” O’Sullivan said Brown wrote on the social media site.

Brown’s defense attorney said she was a hardworking mother and loving grandmother, and asked for a sentence of 4-6 years in prison.

The judge ultimately sided with the prosecution.

“Ms. Brown did not intend to kill Mr. Jones,” Judge Veary said. “But she did intend to take the law into her own hands. And she did intend to do it while armed with a knife.”

Adrienne Brown sentenced to 12-18 yrs in prison for 2015 stabbing death of Brian Jones. She was convicted of voluntary manslaughter. @wpri12